Jeff Bridges, Rooster and The Dude abide

Recent Oscar winner Jeff Bridges is one of the favorites for another statuette for his portrayal of crusty Rooster Cogburn in "True Grit." TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY PARAMOUNT PICTURES

The door opened and there stood The Dude.

Oh, he wasn't wearing the bathrobe and baggy shorts, but it was The Dude nonetheless.

Attired in a wrinkled T-shirt and faded jeans, with that thick mass of hair pretty much uncombed, Jeff Bridges warmly greeted his visitor and then flopped down in a chair to chat.

Two hours later, he would attend a press conference to promote his new movie "True Grit" in a stylish sports jacket and hair neatly combed, but for now, it was just me and The Dude.

I refer, of course, to the iconic character created by the Coen brothers in the 1998 cult classic "The Big Lebowski," which has become such a fan favorite that they actually hold "Big Lebowski" conventions, and the star attraction at these affairs, whether he's there or not (he went once), is The Dude.

Bridges' character was a slacker extraordinaire, but to call him just a slacker is to call Kobe Bryant just a basketball player or Bruce Springsteen just a guitar player.

The Dude is a legend in his own right, and so is Rooster Cogburn, the character in "True Grit" that brought John Wayne his only acting Oscar, and may bring Bridges his second consecutive Academy Award on Feb. 27. He won last year for playing an aging, alcoholic country singer in "Crazy Heart."

If you are unfamiliar with the original or its remake, Cogburn is a crusty Western marshal with violent tendencies who is hired by a 14-year-old girl to help her avenge the murder of her father. Newcomer Hailee Steinfeld of the San Fernando Valley plays Mattie Ross (Kim Darby played her in the original), and Matt Damon is the Texas Ranger who assists them on their journey. The movie opens Dec. 22.

Bridges, 61, has been making movies for four decades, and now he has two films opening almost simultaneously. First up is "TRON: Legacy," in which he reprises his role from the 1982 film "Tron" that was based on a popular video game. And then comes the highly anticipated "True Grit."

During this interview, The Dude explained why he wasn't intimidated by the ghost of Duke Wayne, what was missing on his triumphant Oscar night and why he thinks The Dude not only abides, but endures.

ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER: You always seem so laid-back, not unlike The Dude, but it seemed to me at last year's Oscars that you really cared about winning that award. It seemed as if it mattered to you. Is that true?

JEFF BRIDGES: Winning awards is not something I think about a lot. I've never been the kind of guy who worries about not winning awards. Whenever I've been nominated, it felt wonderful to get an "attaboy" from your guys, but I never was going after it.

Q. But what about that night?

A. It was particularly gratifying on this movie ("Crazy Heart") for a number of reasons. The first was the music, which is so close to my heart. And I had such a wonderful time making that movie. We had a first-time director, Scott Cooper, who never even directed a high school play, and he pulled it off in 24 days. He just cooked. And then my dear friend T-Bone (Burnett) did the music, and my oldest friend John Goodwin wrote the opening tune. It was just chock full of stuff that made it a joy.

Recent Oscar winner Jeff Bridges is one of the favorites for another statuette for his portrayal of crusty Rooster Cogburn in "True Grit." TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY PARAMOUNT PICTURES
The reason Bridges is a favorite is that John Wayne set the precedent when he won an Oscar for the same role. TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY PARAMOUNT PICTURES
It's a toss-up as to which actor steals the movie - Jeff Bridges as Rooster or 14-year-old Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie. TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY PARAMOUNT PICTURES
The same question could be asked in the original film - who stole the movie, John Wayne or Kim Darby? TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Only Jeff Bridges could get the Coen brothers to laugh on a red carpet. Ethan Coen, at left, Bridges and Joel Coen were attending the New York premiere of their new movie "True Grit." TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY STEPHEN LOVEKIN, GETTY IMAGES
Jeff Bridges and co-star Hailee Steinfeld pose at the New York premiere of their movie "True Grit." The young actress from the San Fernando Valley turned 14 on Saturday. TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, AP PHOTO
Jeff Bridges had been nominated before, but this was his moment of triumph when he won an Oscar for his performance in "Crazy Heart." TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY LEONARD ORTIZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
This is an Academy Award-winning performance. TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY FOX SERACHLIGHT
Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal stood toe-to-toe with Jeff Bridges as he demonstrated his Oscar form in "Crazy Heart." TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY FOX SEARCHLIGHT
Jeff Bridges wants to rule the world, but Iron Man would prefer that he not. TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Only slackers have just one movie opening during the holidays. Jeff Bridges is shown in a scene from "TRON: Legacy," which is also in theaters. TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY WALT DISNEY PICTURES
The Dude and Roseanne's husband from the Coen brothers' "The Big Lebowski." TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY POLYGRAM FILMED ENTERTAINMENT
The Dude. TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY POLYGRAM FILMED ENTERTAINMENT
Jeff Bridges as "Wild Bill." He would be advised not to sit with his back to the door. TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY UNITED ARTISTS
There are many sci-fi fans who still love Jeff Bridges in "Starman." TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY COLUMBIA PICTURES
Jeff Bridges showed that he not only could hold his own with Glenn Close in the thriller "Jagged Edge," but he could do so with his own hair. TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY COLUMBIA PICTURES
This is Jeff Bridges from his NEW movie "TRON Legacy." The filmmakers made him look considerably younger through a process called "motion capture." TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY WALT DISNEY PICTURES
It's Clint. It's Jeff. It's Eastwood. It's Bridges. It's "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot." TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY MALPASO CO.
Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges in "The Fisher King." Some people loved it; some people did not love it. Where do you stand? TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY COLUMBIA PICTURES
Jeff Bridges was so young and so new in the movie business that when he appeared in "The Last Picture Show" nearly four decades ago, he was referred to as Lloyd Bridges' kid. TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY COLUMBIA PICTURES
The brothers Bridges - Jeff and Beau - appeared together in "The Fabulous Baker Boys" with a young Orange County actress named Michelle Pfeiffer. TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY TWENTIETH CENTURY-FOX
Jeff Bridges was looking positively presidential in "The Contender," which was directed by former print reporter Rod Lurie. But I'm not jealous. TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY DREAMWORKS
When you survive in the movie business for four decades, there are going to be a few stinkers like "The Men Who Stare at Goats." TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY OVERTURE FILMS
It may not look like Jeff Bridges, but he is the voice of this Dude-like penguin in the animated film "Surf's Up." TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY SONY PICTURES
Jeff Bridges knows good horse flesh when he sees it in "Seabiscuit." TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY UNIVERSAL PICTURES
Jeff Bridges is all smiles now, but he won't be smiling when the Big Three automakers put the brakes on his genius in "Tucker: The Man and His Dream." TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Yes, there was a movie that accompanied the Phil Collins hit song "Against All Odds." TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY COLUMBIA PICTURES
At the premiere of "True Grit," Jeff Bridges was accompanied by daughter Jessie and wife Susan. TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY JEMEL COUNTESS, GETTY IMAGES
Jeff Bridges is someone whose career and talent are being appreciated even more as his hair starts to turn gray. TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO STEPHEN LOVEKIN, GETTY IMAGES
Long before there was The Dude, there was The Duke. TEXT BY BARRY KOLTNOW, PHOTO BY PARAMOUNT PICTURES

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